Namek-jin: Prologue
by Kojini
Summary: Gohan is dead. The Saijya-jins killed him along with countless others when they first landed on Earth. Now, driven back by the efforts of Piccolo, Goku, and the others--Vegeta will seek immortality from the planet Namek-jin. Piccolo will stop him.
1. Default Chapter

Prologue: Regrets

In the emptiness of space, flying along even faster than the speed of light, Piccolo found it was easy to think. For once though, he regretted that. Thinking to much brought back the pain. It felt like his chest would cave in on itself and he felt like crying. Crying! Something he had never done and didn't think would be possible for a demon like him. Even Kami didn't or couldn't cry.

So he tried other things. Training with Krillin didn't work either. Oh, the human had grown stronger during his training with Kami and the others, but he was still to weak and the ship to small.

And so, during the long hours of the flight, he meditated. Soon, they would catch up with the Saijyan and then Piccolo would get his revenge. After he and his goon had killed Gohan, Goku, the boy's father, had showed up and dealt with them both, Krillin and Piccolo both being useless except for when Piccolo had distracted that short one long enough for Krillin to through the Genki Dama.

Nappa, the big, idiotic, and muscle-bound Saijyan, had been killed by Vegeta, his smaller though stronger partner, after he was defeated by Son Goku. Goku had spared Vegeta's life even after he heard about how he'd let his son die.

Well, Piccolo wasn't so merciful. He was going to get his revenge and he would kill Vegeta. No matter what. That was why he had found his old space ship and taken off 

Krillin had volunteered to come with him.

"Well, it's not like there is anything better to do, now that we beat 'em and the dragonballs will be stone for another year, so why not?" He had said, laughing very nervously.

"Fine. But remember this: We are going to fight the second strongest person in the universe and who knows how many other friends he has. Chances are, we won't come back alive. Are you prepared for that fate?"

He had gulped when Piccolo finished, but still he decided to come.

Piccolo knew he couldn't die yet. If he was gone, then there was no way Gohan could be revived. 

***

Piccolo stood up and opened his eyes suddenly, surprising Krillin so much he fell out of his Namekien chair.

"Have a good nap?" Krillin said jokingly, then regretted deeply as he was met with a stare that could literally level mountains. Piccolo turned away from him, uttered that strange Namek language, then went through the door that opened from what Krillin had to be just a wall.

"H-hey, where you going now?"

Piccolo turned around, and for the first time Krillin realized how tired the Namek looked. His eyes looked a bit unfocused and his face was a bit gaunt. 

"I'm going to operate the ships gravity machine. Normally, we use it to slowly acclimatize ourselves to a different planets gravity, but Goku used gravity training to increase his strength, so I will too."

"Can I come?" Krillin said halfheartedly. He had been reading a good mystery thriller and he was almost through. He was actually glad Bulma had given it to him before the flight. There was nothing to do here!

"No."

"Oh...why not?"

"You would be crushed into the ground and your heart would explode."

"Oh."

***

Gohan looked at the giant serpent road before him. It seemed to stretch forever, but his dad had crossed, and so he would to.

Yamcha whistled, "Man, that's gonna take forever to get across. Oh well, you guys ready?"

Tein and Choa-su both replied, "Yes."

"Hey, Gohan! You going or are you staying!" Yamcha yelled.

"What? Oh, y-yeah."

"All right, then we're off!" And with that, the three fighters took off so fast they were a blur. Gohan didn't trust narrow road or his footing well enough to do that, so he simply leapt as far as he could in the direction of the road. the wind on his face and through his hair felt good. Piccolo had trained him as hard as he could, and still Gohan had failed his hero.

Well, he would make Piccolo proud of him. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Arrival

Piccolo threw another blast at himself, then dodged to the side to avoid the one his counterpart had thrown at him. Realizing that wouldn't work, he leaped into the air and pounded himself on the chest with a kick, taking an identical blow in the process. They both ignored the pain and went into a barrage of kicks and punches at each other, neither landing many blows though it hurt to even block a blow.

Suddenly, the other Piccolo shot its eye lasers at him. They scorched into his own eyes and then everything went black. Piccolo closed his eyes used his Chakra to see instead. He could only see auras this way, but he wasn't ready to quit yet. He saw a bright red aura come for him and on instinct he phased behind it and fired a blast of raw ki.

"Ungh, I can't believe I fell for that." He heard himself say.

"Yeah, that must be because I'm the one with the brains."

"Ha. Please stop telling those witty one-liners, I might bust my side open." He replied sarcastically.

"Really, I could of sworn I already did?"

"Enough chat. Sooner we merge, sooner we heal, the-"

"Sooner we can train again. Yeah, I know."

Piccolo let his body go, flaring up his ki until it filled every part of his being, then seemed to melt into his other half. His eyesight came back and a few of his wounds healed in the process, but there wasn't enough energy in the two to heal everything. Too bad, he would have to rest for awhile.

"Sgraka Sa Chatobantum." He muttered and in response a door appeared on the craft that led to real space, not the blown up counterpart he'd made in his training room. The air stopped pulling on his skin and he felt his breathing return to normal, not the forced pants he'd had to use in there. The ship still hadn't generated quite enough air to fill it.

"Krillin, the room is yours for about an hour while I heal myself. Do you remember how to set it?"

"Yeah, I think. Ta makes it go down, Ya raises it."

"Good."

Piccolo walked over to the water tank and stuck a tube into his mouth. He drank a full two gulps then put it away. He felt the hydrogen and oxygen separate, flowing into his body. The energy in the hydrogen as it burned silently knitted together his muscles and mended his bones. The process took about twenty minutes and used up nearly all his energy, but he still had training to do. He would just rest to catch his breath for a minute.

As Piccolo fell down, he barely remembered to yell "Juka" and make the floor soft as air.

***

"P-Piccolo? Could you, um, wake up?" Krillin said, nudging Piccolo with his boot. A green hand snatched his ankle and before he knew it, he was hanging upside down and staring into the demon's face.

"Why did you wake me?"

"Uh, the ship stopped." Piccolo let go of Krillin and rushed off into a different room in the ship, barely pausing briefly to bark out a word of Namek. Krillin crawled up to his feet, racing forward before the door slammed in his face. He slammed headfirst into what was once again a wall. What had Piccolo said? Yo something...

"Yoyo?" He tried. Nothing.

"Boyo?" Still nothing.

"Coyo?" Nada

"Noyo?" Nuttin.

"Voyo?" Finally, the door opened to the maneuvering room. Piccolo was already there, staring into a green screen that seemed to hang on nothing with letters running across that seemed to make no sense except for what looked like a planet with certain parts enlarged with text all over them. To the right of the planet, a constant flow of text ran down to fast for Krillin to read even if he did know Namek.

"Is Vegeta there?" Krillin asked.

"I don't know yet. Be quiet!" Piccolo said, not even bothering to look in Krillin's direction. 

Krillin waited. After what seemed an eternity of waiting, he waited some more. Finally, Piccolo looked at him and turned off the screen with a brief, "Gata"

"He isn't here. There are some traces of his DNA, but other than that nothing. I'm going down there to see if I can find out where he was heading."

"I'm coming with you."

"...Fine."

Piccolo barked out commands in Namek to fast for Krillin to follow and like a stock car the ship lurched forward to the planet. Krillin nearly went to all fours he felt so many g's, but he had been training as well and was able to stand, though not with the statue-stillness Piccolo had.

The ship stopped twenty feet above the ground and slowly floated to the ground. Piccolo went to and window and turned to Krillin. 

"Take a deep breath and follow me."

***

"Vert" Piccolo said and instantly the window disappeared. The air rushed out with Piccolo and Krillin as the flew out the window, both their auras flaring with white flame as they raced to a building. Piccolo looked back for a second and noticed with a hint of pleasure the window had sealed itself properly, then seared a opening in the dome shaped building they flew into with his eyes.

They entered quietly enough, but then the sound of rusty metal sliding together to close the hole became a dead giveaway. /So much for stealth. /Piccolo thought.

Piccolo searched the complex for ki's and found that though all of them were above normal, the top was only about 300 and the average here was around 50, though Piccolo felt a few that were as low as 5-10. Odd, he had adapted the powerleval system those saijya-jin's used more easily than he thought would.

Closing his Chakra, he searched the room he was in visually. It had row upon row of seats with platforms between each two. What could kind of place was this? He didn't see any raised platform so it couldn't be used for holding meetings, and it was to cluttered to be a training room. 

"Wow, Saijya-jin's use cafeterias too." Krillin said.

"What?"

"Y'know, it's a place where people eat."

"Eating? Oh, that." So, Saijya-jin's shared with humans that disgusting habit. Gohan had eaten at least three times a day when they had trained together, scarfing down food and chewing it, then actually swallowing it. Piccolo had learned to be away training during Gohan's meals it was so revolting. The idea of so many people doing that would have made him puke. Of course, you actually need to eat to be able to puke.

About thirty men piled into the room, all of them looking nothing like a Saijya-jin, though they wore roughly the same armor. Some held what Piccolo thought were guns leveled at the two of them. Many were taking reading on their scouters. Oddly, none looked scared.

"State yer name and business." One said, a race that looked like an orange crocodile on two legs. He seemed to be their leader, though his power was only at 120.

"I am De--Namek Piccolo. I have come to kill Vegeta."

The crocodile man turned to what appeared to be his second in command, a human shaped alien with purple skin and hair with green dots, "Hmm, maybe it's a Ginyu. Freeza was pretty peeved at Vegeta."

"Nah, I don't think so, Sir. Ginyu's are at least 35,000. The Namek and the...I don't know what that is, but maybe a tail-less Saijya-jin mutant; anyway, they clock in at 6000 and 2000 respectively."

"Hmm, whatever. So let me see...Should we kill them or should we let 'em live to be a thorn in the side of the 'Great Saijya-jin Prince'" The captain said with a chuckle.

The purple man laughed a bit too, "Yeah, I bet he'd really like that!:

Piccolo felt a bit confused. From the way that prince had carried on, you would of thought he was revered by his people. Then again, there were no Saijya-jins here and they thought of him a delusional apparently.

"All right, then. Vegeta went after Lord Freeza to Namek. You must of just missed him black-eyes." The crocodile man said, "Just don't bang in through the wall on the way out. Haven't ya ever heard of a dock?"

Pcenter***/center

Gohan landed on the narrow road then leaped into the air again. He was starting to get tired and he had been hungry for what he thought was days. He hadn't gotten any sleep because the others didn't need to stop and he didn't want to get left behind. His legs felt like they should break off at any moment from the constant jumping. He really had to learn how to fly.

"Hey!" He called out, pulling the others to a halt. Gohan was relieved to see they were tired also and that they were glad to stop for any reason, "I was wondering; could any of you guys teach me how to fly?"

"Sure," Tein said, and with one quick burst of speed was standing right beside Gohan, "You just have to throw your ki's energy the opposite hemisphere of where you want to go. The more energy you use, the faster you go." To demonstrate, he hovered in the air for a moment the flew back to the others, "You try."

Gohan did, and was instantly thrown face first into the ground.

"No, your releasing your energy from your feet! Release it from your whole body!" Tein shouted to Gohan.

He tried again, and this time it worked. He was flying! He looked down on the others who were taking off and then creating a V formation around him. /This sure is a lot easier than jumping./ Gohan thought as accelerated so much he could feel his aura flaring and he was leaving everyone else behind, /Faster too!/

center***/center

"Man, that was weird" Krillin said, breathing in the air in deep gasps as they boarded the ship, "I thought we'd have to fight for sure!"

"Yeah," Piccolo said as he went to start the ship. Krillin felt the lurch of the ship as it took off through the planets thin atmosphere. 

"He offers about as much company as a wet sock on a hike." Krillin grumbled. He nearly jumped out of his shoes when the wall opened up and Piccolo entered.

"Krillin, your going to train with me from now on. Follow me." Krillin complied.

When Piccolo opened the door to the training room, Krillin saw two other Piccolo's already engaged in a fierce battle. That would mean that this Piccolo had the same amount of power as him! Suddenly, this training session didn't seem so dreadful.

"Noyaya" Piccolo shouted and suddenly Krillin found he could barely stand up. The other Piccolo's also looked a bit strained. They no longer flew, but their backs were straight. Krillin forced his up to.

"How many g's is this?!" Krillin asked.

"Twenty."

"Twenty!"

"Yes. Guess you aren't ready to train with me yet. Start running laps."

Krillin was about to protest, but then thought better of it and forced his legs to go around the wall's edge. The third Piccolo seemed to turn burn completely blue then split and absorb itself into the other Piccolos.

"Why am I always the one holding back the others?" He grumbled under his breath. Piccolo heard him, but decided not to comment. /Let him wallow in his despair, he isn't at fault for someone's death./


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Guest

Gohan landed on the ground even though he was still trying to fly. He looked behind him for the others and panicked for just a second when he didn't see them. No matter, really, nothing lived on Snakeway and the only thing you had to watch out for was that you didn't fall off the road.

Still, he might as well get some sleep so the others could catch up... 

center***/center

/Namek,/ Piccolo thought, /I'm really going to Namek./ The thought filled him with joy, but it also scared him. Would his people accept some one like him? That thought unsteadied him so much he nearly lost his concentration and fell to the floor below him, and at twenty-five times normal gravity that would hurt even him. 

No, it was best not to think of that sort of thing right now. It would be better to concentrate on why he was going. Vegeta would pay for what he'd done. Of course, for him to pay Piccolo would have to be stronger.

center***/center

Krillin pounded his hand into the punching bag he'd asked Piccolo to make. It felt like he was hitting a rock, but he knew that wasn't right because it didn't shatter. Instead, the bag swayed a few inches then stopped. Krillin continued to execute combos on the bag, all of them having little effect. He kicked it a few times, but raising his legs that high in this gravity would cramp them up very quickly.

This punching bag thingy was impressive. It was suspended by some sort of blue chain and that was suspended on nothing. Piccolo hadn't bothered to tell him how, and since he'd been exposed to much weirder things in his time than a "magic punching bag", he didn't ask.

Finally, he decided he had warmed up enough and started to deliver the punches he would use in battle. The air cracked and the bag seemed to bend over double when he let loose with his right hook, and do the same thing in the opposite direction with his left. But each time it came to a stop, quivered a little, then was motionless. 

Krillin then turned up the pace. Flaring up his aura, he punched with all the force he could muster, sending it swinging at the end of its chain, then phased up and delivered a roundhouse kick. Soon, the only thing visible was a orange blur moving around in what looked like a tornado without a tail. 

Of course, one couldn't keep this kind of pace for long and soon Krillin had to stop to catch his breath. Maybe he could get a bite to eat while he was at it. He started to leave the training room when Piccolo spoke to him.

"Fight a enemy that's faster than you that way and you'll be dead."

"Thanks for the tip." Krillin replied, not daring to make his voice sarcastic.

Krillin walked to the "kitchen", a ice chest and a backpack stuffed with food, pans, silverware and other things he'd brought for himself. He poured some water into the pan in from the wall (Piccolo had shown him how, though he didn't bother to until he was practically dehydrated) and boiled it with his ki. Once the water was bubbling up, he tossed in the noodles and began to stir with his chopsticks. When it softened, he poured in the seasoning, stirred that up, then to top it off he put in five shakes of white pepper for flavor. He started to eat without even bothering to take it out of the pan, started to eat. /Think I've been around Goku to long./ He thought with a smile..

He drained the rest of the soup in his mouth and got out a book, to tired to go back to training and also to tired to get to his room sleep.

However, he kept reading the same line over and over again and soon he threw it against the wall. There was nothing to do on this stupid spaceship! The sooner they got to Namek, the better!

center***/center

Cherie didn't like the outside. It was cold and empty, and if you fell off, you either died or you were stuck in one of the worst places in the universe. That was why when her mistress had asked her to go and fetch the boy that had fallen asleep on her road, she nearly fainted. 

Still, she was loyal and the pay was good, so she left the palace and stepped onto the road, shortly before falling to all fours and crawling to the boy. The yellow clouds just added to the sense of height and made the hairs on her back rise and her back as stiff as a board as she crawled to the boy. Finally, after crawling for a half a mile, she reached the boy.

However, she didn't see how she'd carry him. Seeing no other course, she decided to try a more forceful approach.

"Hey! Wake up!" 

When that had no effect, she slapped him across the face lightly. 

Instantly, the boy was on his feet and had his hands around her throat. Seeing it wasn't Nappa, as he had dreamed, Gohan quickly released his grip and apologized.

"Who do you think you are?" Cherie said as she rubbed her neck. She expected a bonus for this. Maybe her mistress would let her have his whole left hand.

"I said I was sorry, and I really am, Maim. If you don't want me to sleep on your road I'll just move on." Gohan said, preparing to take off. The rest seemed to have done him some good, though he was still hungry.

"What? Uh, no, you can't. You see, that's why I came out here. My mistress has a custom of giving a feast and then a night's lodging to whoever comes across her road. Only an idiot could refuse an offer like that, right?"

center***/center

Goku sneezed.

center***/center

"Food and a bed!?"

"Yes, now please follow me." Cherie breathed in and out deeply as she tried to keep her composure walking on the road. It was hard enough crawling, but walking! How did people manage it?!

As Gohan followed her, he decided, through the influence of the promise of food and a real bed, he would wait for the others to catch up with him. His stomach growled, startling the lady in front of him. /Now why is it that that sound seems familiar?/ Cherie thought.

center***/center

The ship entered the atmosphere so fast the air seemed to ripple like a pebble thrown into a pond for miles, yet the ship wasn't fazed at all. Krillin watched out of the window as the blackness of space turned red-hot. He floated up a little to get a view of the ground below and felt his hairs stand on end when he saw how close they were. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for impact.

It never came; instead, about a thousand feet from the ground, the ship somehow killed its momentum in a spiral. The landing was as soft as a feather and left him a bit disappointed.

Krillin took his hands off the rail, rubbed them because he'd squeezed them so tight, then winced when he saw what he'd done to the railing. /I hope Piccolo doesn't see that./

He looked out the window again, and he saw a site that made him want to hurl and he resisted the urge only with the thought of what Piccolo would say.

Outside, the body of people that had to be Nameks laid strewn across the ground. The village was completely destroyed, the corpses littered the blackened ground. Krillin pieced together what must of happened. /Vegeta was here. He must of come in here with a bunch of his goons looking for a dragonball. The Nameks came out and banded together, but were killed. Simple enough./

Krillin nearly banged his head on the ceiling when he saw a caped figure moving to the seen, then reprimanded himself. Of course Piccolo would go out to see what had happened for himself. Come to think of it, he might as well get out there for himself. Fresh air would be good. The thought of the Namek's corpses returned. Maybe he would stay inside a bit longer.

center***/center

Piccolo was angry. Angrier than he'd ever been. Even the time he'd been ashamed by Goku in the Budokai didn't come close to this fire he felt in his chest. He slammed the ground with his fist, sending shock waves out from him. If he had been here a day sooner, if he had gone straight to Namek...What, he would have died? A little voice inside his head said.

Yes! But at least it would have been in the defense of his people! He thought back.

What good to those alive is he dead? How will that help Gohan?

He knew that, but he hated it nonetheless. He wanted to scream, he wanted fight someone, he wanted a release! And then it happened.

Tears of unsalted water started flowing down his face. Already they fell unheeded into the ground. /I'm crying.../ So this was what it was like. It felt good. Still, it felt to weak. Weak people cried. Goku hadn't cried at the death of his son, and he wouldn't cry for the death of his people. He leapt to his feet and burned the tears clear off his face with a burst of ki.

Crying wouldn't help. He would track Vegeta down and he would kill him. Not in revenge though. It would be in the defense of his people. This time, he would be there. He flew into in the ship, muttered the command for sealing it, then went to the control room. 

Soon, he had the locations of every dragonball on the planet. Two were grouped together and the rest were spread around the planet. Good, now he just had to find the strongest power which would be Vegeta's. When he saw the powerlevals on the screen, he felt, for the first time in his life, scared.

center***/center

The boy, what was his name? Gohan, he had said his name was Gohan. The boy, Gohan, had eaten a quarter of the food in the pantry, run around the castle so much no matter where you went you could still smell his "unique" scent, and he was still not tired.

Hebi Hime, the Snake Princess, bit down on her tongue as she sat down for another meal with the boy.

"So Gohan, you really going to meet the Northern Kaio?" She said in her most sociable voice.

"Uh huh, my dad went there a while back and he became real strong and I want to be real strong like him! Are you sure it's okay for me to be eating all this?" The boy said, she noticed in disgust, with his mouth full. Wait, what had he just said!?

"Yes, yes, eat all you want. Y-your father? Goku?"

"Hey yeah...How did you know that?"

"He came here too." Yes, she thought he looked familiar; he was the boy of Goku's dream. The one that made him leave. She would definitely get him for that. Eating a body with a ki like Goku's would have been wonderful. This boy's ki was even larger than Goku's though. That made it so much the better, but she also had to be that much more careful. No sleeping grass this time. No matter, he must go to sleep sometime.

An then the feast would begin. At that, she smiled wide, showing off her perfect teeth with small fangs. 

center***/center

"S-someone stronger than Vegeta!" Krillin said, feeling a bit faint at the thought. A lump suddenly appeared in his stomach

"Yes." Piccolo said

"W-well, what are we going to do?"

"We will gather as many dragonballs as we can, evacuate the survivors to a safe haven, and try to avoid contact with Freeza unless absolutely necessary."

"Then what? We can't make a wish with only a handful of Dragonballs. What are we going to do?"

Surprisingly, Piccolo looked away from Krillin, "Worry about that when we get there. For now, concentrate on what I've told you."

Krillin wondered what on Earth, or Namek for that matter, Piccolo was thinking. 

"Wait. What about Vegeta. Is he here?"

"Yes, but not for long. I'm going to go and kill him right now. Guard the ship."

"What!?"

center***/center

Finally, the boy had gone to sleep. In fact, she herself was exhausted. /Maybe I'll kill him, go to bed, and then have him for breakfast./ She thought as she stood in front of the door leading to Gohan's room.

Silently, after all it had been designed that way, the door opened. She had blown out the magic torches in the hall so no light flooded in to wake the boy. On tiptoe, she made her way to him, a thin knife in her hand. One quick stab to heart and then she would leave the mess to her staff.

center***/center

Gohan was about to be blasted into oblivion by Nappa when he woke. His breath came out in a gasp as he rose up in the total darkness. /Only a nightmare,/ he told himself as he tried to lay down. But for some reason, his back was still stiff. Someone was in the room. He heard their heartbeat.

Gohan put his hands together and poured as small bit of ki into them, filling to room with light. He saw the Snake Princess; he saw the knife.

"You were going to kill me?!" Gohan said, puzzled.

"Hmpf. Yes I was. Would of served you right, eating all my food, stinking up the place. Your just like your father! He didn't have any manners either."

Gohan found himself blushing. She had just tried to pierce his heart with a knife, and he was blushing like a child with his hand in the cookie jar!

"I-I'll just leave now." He said, getting out of bed.

"Leave! No way! You see, in addition to this form, I have another. Your father was able to avoid it, but I won't make the same mistake twice!"

Gohan fell to the ground, the now soft and acidic ground, then raised his hands from the floor. They burned as if he had put them in a furnace! Firing up his ki, he flew through the tunnel. Suddenly, the tunnel turned and he nearly went straight into the wall.

Stopping in the air, he tried to just blast through the wall, but that didn't work. His ki just went into the wall then disappeared. The Snake Princess' voice spoke inside his head.

::That was delicious. Ohh, you were worth the effort. I think your energy will keep me full for another millennia or so!::

Gohan fired down the tunnel at mach 4, throwing up his aura for protection. The first time he hit the wall, he thought his forearms would burn straight to the bone. Seeing his aura wouldn't work, he dropped it and continued on.

When he finally reached the end, he plowed his fist into the teeth and was rewarded with it shattering. Squeezing through, he landed on the road a hundred feet down and ran until his feet reached terminal velocity and took off from the road. Spreading his arms for balance, he flew away without looking back. When a flame shot over his head, his aura flared and he took off like never before.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 4: To Summon a Dragon

Krillin stomach was full of butterflies. He wasn't sure if it was the cold, arrogant posture Vegeta had as he leaned against the ship's wall or the hard, fierce face Piccolo wore as he stared into the mid-air monitor, tapping keys and muttering in Namek. Or maybe it was that he was worried at why Piccolo had brought him to the control room. Probably all three, he thought.

"Namek, do you know where the Dragonballs are yet?" Vegeta snapped, clearly annoyed. Piccolo didn't reply, but he seemed to type faster and mutter a bit more loudly, as if to point out just how much he was ignoring him.

"Lay off, Vegeta. He said he was almost done. A few minutes won't matter." Krillin said.

"Lay off? You want me to **lay off**!? Every **second **we waste here is a step closer Freeza comes to getting all the Dragonballs! He already has four! And you want me to lay off!" Vegeta shouted, then spat and closed his eyes as if it took a great deal of effort not to blow up this ship and everyone in it.

"You can shut up now. I've found them." Piccolo said, "Actually, I had already found them, I just had to create a map you could read."

"Why would I need the map? You will take me there."

"No, I won't. I'll be busy getting my own dragonball. We have to split up."

"Wha--Why?" Krillin asked.

"That way, our chances of getting at least one dragonball are that much better. Catch." Piccolo said, before tossing what looked like a wristwatch without the dial. Krillin wondered silently at the fact that Nameks had developed Velcro, the put it in place on his wrist.

"What is this piece of Namek trash?" Vegeta said, holding it with a clenched fist.

"A map. Voice command is Piccolo to open, Daiomo to close. Now, I suggest you get going. Frieza IisI getting closer with each hour we waste hear." And with that said, Piccolo marched briskly out of the room and presumably out of the ship.

"Blast!" Vegeta muttered as he zipped over the watery landscape, "Blast that bloody earthling to the depths of HFIL!" He was still trying to get the move right. At first, he had thought of forgetting about it, moving on to a more useful technique like the Namek's regeneration--But then he had seen that Krillin laughing from the ship! Now he had to master it, if only so he could chop off that earthling's head when the whole ordeal was over.

He put his burnt finger in his mouth as he checked the map, then spit it out--a Saijya-jin does not feel pain! They are above it; even the pain from a squeezed tail was nothing! Unconsciously, he felt around his waist for his tail, his hand only touching his beat up armor. He could still feel where it was, like it was still wrapped around him or flicking gracefully in the wind, but still there was nothing. He was beginning to think it wouldn't grow back.

"Curse every Earthling in this or any other galaxy!!!" He yelled, then bit his lip when he realized they only lived on Earth. He looked down at the map, still open even after his monologue, the icon that was him steadily moving over the green grid; the icon that represented the dragonball staying perfectly still.

He looked ahead to see if there were any buildings visible yet. However, the only thing he saw was a giant stone pillar. He was about to go straight through it, letting off a little steam by leveling a mountain, when he realized this is where the dragonball was. He smiled that little half smile as he spiraled up the pillar. Maybe there would be Nameks up there. And maybe they would resist.

"Guru! Wake up, Guru! There is a stranger outside!" Nail said, gently shaking his master's giant arm.

"A visitor? How delightful...Well, have you not let him in?"

"Guru, he is here for the Dragonball. I think he is one of Frieza's men!"

"Now Nail, you must first answer my question. Then I will here what you have to say. Have you let him in?"

"N-no"

"Well, let him in! And don't worry. I'm sure you will protect me."

Nail was about to reply; in fact the words were nearly out of his mouth. However, they went back down in a gasp as a hole was formed in the ceiling. Along with the debris, a lone warrior fell to the floor.

"Ah, there it is. Now, Namek, fetch me that ball and I might spare your life."

"Do you have need of my dragonball?" Guru asked, staring with his ancient eyes into Vegeta. His voice was the embodiment of naiveté. Has his brain gone soft over the years? Nail thought.

"That doesn't concern you, old man. Now hand it over!" The warrior formed blue energy in the palm of his hand.

"Nail." Guru said, and instantly the Namek was in action. Kicking the back of his hand with a pointed boot, he forced the energy to dissipate. He caught the punch that was thrown at him with his left, then plowed his arm into the warrior's neck with his right, extending it until he heard a satisfying thud against the wall. No one was to mess with his master.

Pain flared in his arm as the warrior hammered his elbow into it, making nail let go and his arm contract. The warrior wasted no time, delivering a blow straight to his mouth. Nail tasted some blood, but he didn't give it any thought. 

The warrior jumped back, folding his arms across his chest, "Namek, do you know your dealing with the Prince of the Saijya-jins? There is no way you could win."

"I am Nail. I have been instructed in the way of the warrior since birth. If you continue to try and take the dragonball, or threaten my master Guru, I will kill you."

The warrior unfolded his arms and held a finger in what Nail didn't think was a sign of respect, "Stupid Namek, thinking you can beat a Saijya-jin." The warrior disappeared. Nail shot up into the air on reflex, but the warrior had simply vanished. Nail didn't like this.

"Heh, doesn't even know about phasing; how pathetic." He heard, only a split-second before an elbow rammed into his back. However, he was able to untense his torso so that the blow merely stretched. Still, it felt like a heart was being ripped out. For the first time, Nail wondered if he was strong enough to win. He pushed the tendril of fear back down, then faced the smirking warrior. 

Opening his mouth, he focused his ki into a mouth blast. It ripped through his throat a seared his tongue, throat, and the roof of his mouth. He clenched his fists so hard purple blood started coming out. Now he knew why Guru hadn't wanted him to use this technique; one mistake and he fry his skull!

He watched through watering eyes as the blast seemed to float toward the warrior. He saw the warrior's eyes dilated as the blast grew near, trying to evade. However, they both knew this one would connect, and for the microsecond before impact, their eyes met. 

Nail could only see hatred. 

The moment ended with a white explosion so loud he thought his ears would bleed. After it died down, Nail looked at the warrior, then let out a sigh of relief. The warrior was down, but he was not dead. His blast has seared straight through the warriors armor, and the skin was over his chest was bleeding, but he could see that he was breathing. 

"Quickly, bring him to me!" Guru said, so impatient he had a small fit for coughing, "Before he dies. Come on!" 

Nail tried to answer, but his throat was completely dry and burned on top of that. Regenerating all the time, he picked the warrior up and placed him in Guru's lap. Nail found he could smirk as he looked at the warrior, now looking like merely a hatchling beside his master.

Guru placed his hands on the warrior's chest, and Nail could see the flows, week but intricate, as they gently wound up the warriors wounds. At one point, they flickered; nearly losing coherence before the master gained control.

"There...Now please, Nail. Remove him; he should be waking soon." Guru said, his strong, deep voice now weak and very tired. 

"Of course." Nail said as he complied.

***

Vegeta woke up, carefully keeping his breath moving in the rhythms of sleep. _He beat me_, he thought, _How could a Namek beat a Saijya-jin? How could I now be at the mercy of a Namek! _

It made no sense. The Saijya-jins were the strongest race! Even Kakkarot had bested the Namek Piccolo, and he wasn't even in the royal bloodline! 

"Master Guru, the warrior has awakened." The small Namek said to the fat one.

"Yes. I know. Now then, do you want to explain why you wish for immortality?" The Namek said, and faced with that knowing, penetrating gaze, the hairs on Vegeta's neck rose.


End file.
